Friday Headlines

the weekly newsletter from Dr Ruth Weeks, Headmistress

Year 10 attend GCSE Science Live

27 January 2017

On Monday 23 January, the whole of Year 10 set off for the Symphony Hall, keen for the chance to see and hear from Britain’s top scientists at GCSE Science Live.

The girls settled into their seats and listened to a range of experts, all of whom work at the cutting edge of their specialisms, as they delivered a programme of exciting and
informative presentations about a wide variety of topics:

Evolution without fossils - Professor Alice Roberts. This was an inspiring presentation which presented the evidence for evolution in the living world such as bone structures,
DNA and embryo development.

Travelling to the stars - Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock. This lecture, given by the presenter of BBC Sky at Night and Cbeebies, considered the probability of humans travelling to,
and settling on, other planets and asked the question ‘Is Star Trek really possible?’.

Strange Ice - Professor Andrea Sella. Water is a one in a billion substance with very unusual properties which we take for granted. Did you know, for example, that water is
almost unique in being a substance whose solid floats in its own liquid?

Stuff matters - Professor Mark Miodownik. The emphasis here was on how the recycling potential of a product should be considered when designing and making it. The girls
were invited to consider how long their possessions should be made to last and how many rare elements they contain.

Time travel: fact or fiction – Professor Jim Al-Khalili. The professor explored the paradoxes and possibilities of time travel through a range of scientific theories including
Einstein’s Theories of Special and General Relativity.

This was a really informative and thought-provoking day which enabled the girls to see the world from the perspective of experts working in a range of different fields. Truly
awe-inspiring!

Edgbaston High School is easy to reach by public transport. Alternatively, areas including Solihull, Walsall, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, Streetly, Kinver, Stourbridge, Hagley and Halesowen are covered by the School's own minibus services or by private coaches organised by parents.